coming up tomorrow, physician and author deepak chopra, charlie crist, republican elijah cummings, and aidan quinn. cnn newsroom" with ted rowlands begins right noul. good morning, soledad. hundreds of union workers and supporters are protesting a so-called right to work bill in michigan that threatens organized labor in the state.

we're live in lansing. a decorated combat veteran, a young man excited about joining the military, we're remembering the navy s.e.a.l. killed while trying to rescue a fellow everyone that afghanistan. plus this. >> your roof just collapsed. >> it just collapsed. >> a family is cleaning up after their ceiling collapses following a severe storm and it's all caught on camera. we'll show you more of that dramatic video, plus guns and football, after the shooting death involving a kansas city linebacker some nfl players are turning in their firearms. "newsroom" starts right now. good morning, everybody. i'm ted rowlands in for carol costello today. lansing, michigan, is the target

of a protest. the republicans are trying to push through a right to work bill that could severely hurt organized labor in the state. the governor promises to sign the bill as soon as it hits his desk which could be within hours. the new legislation bars requiring union dues as a condition of employment. it's already on the books in 23 other states. police and firefighters would be exempt, however. here is a look at the right to work nation states. if governor snyder signs this bill in michigan as expected, michigan would be the most heavily unionized right to work state in the country. alison kosik, describe what's happening now. demonstrators are starting to gather outside of the capitol. are they going to be allowed inside as this historic legislation is passed? >> reporter: they are inside right now as well as outside, so

behind me you've got several hundred protesters that began arriving, even before daylight, with their signs, some inflatable rafts, often a symbol of union protests, sitting on the lawn outside here and inside, yes, there are protesters inside, especially right where the gallery is, right where the house floor is, because they want to watch the house in action when it begins in session at 10:00 a.m. in about an hour, so they'll be able to watch the legislative process at work. but there's a huge spillover crowd inside the capitol building, a huge crowd, a couple hundred, in each rotunda on three floors chanting, you can hear their voices inside the capital, once you walk in, you can hear their voices reverb rate, they're pounding their fists and chanting and certainly unified in what they are here for, here to protest the right to work law that looks like it is expected to be passed through the house and is expected to land on governor rick snyder's

desk at some point expected today. ted in. >> alison kosik on the ground in michigan, we'll have much more as this unfolds over the next two hours. at the bottom of the hour we'll talk with two michigan state democrats, democrat gretchen whitmer and republican tanya schudemaker. in egypt a new eruption of violence, gunmen opened fire on anti-government protesters, camped out in tahrir square. also amassing supporters of president mohamed morsi and a controversial vote this weekend on a new constitution. today as you might imagine, tensions are very high as the political crisis threatens to ignite new conflicts. reza, what is happening now? >> reporter: ted, i don't think too many people want a repeat performance what have we saw last week, at the presidential

palace where the two sides of the conflict met here and came to blows, nearly 700 people injured in clashes, several people killed. today the stage is set for another potentially violent and explosive day, because both these sides again have called for mass demonstrations within the next hour, opposition factions, critics of the president, have set out on marches that are going to culminate here at the presidential palace. in about 15, 20 minutes away from this location, that's where the muslim brotherhood, the supporters of the president, have called for their own demonstrations. i think a lot of people are relieved that these demonstrations aren't going to be at the same location but the potential for protesters to cross paths, opposition factions, demonstrating again because their demands have not been met, they still don't like the way this constitution was drafted. they don't want this vote on saturday to take place. the supporters of the president, the president himself believes this is the best way to move

forward for democracy. they say if the opposition doesn't like this constitution, they can go out on saturday and vote no, ted, and we should point out that a new layer has been added to this conflict and that's the military. the president has given the military the power to arrest citizens in an effort, the president says, to protect the state institutions and citizens behind us, at least six tanks, if things get out of hand. we'll keep a close eye to see what role the military plays in this political crisis >> reza sayeh, a potentially violent situation going on in egypt if those two groups cross paths. thank you. this morning calming words on syria amid fears the crumbling regime could unleash chemical weapons on its own people. days after the u.s. and other countries warned embattled president bashar al assad against such action, defense secretary leon panetta says syria may be backing away from

the threat. here is what pa net ta said early this morning on a flight to kuwait city. >> we haven't seen anything new indicating any aggressive steps to move forward in that way, but we continue to monitor it very closely and we continue to make clear to them that they should not under any means make use of these chemical weapons against their own population. >> and here's an example of how just murky the divisions are in syria, later today washington will declare one of the group of rebels a foreign terrorist organization. according to federal documents the group is merely another alias or al qaeda in iraq. this morning we know the name of the navy s.e.a.l. killed during a raid to rescue a kidnapped american doctor in afghanistan. the s.e.a.l. is identified as petty officer first class nicolas checque.

barbara starr joins us from the pentagon with more on petty officer checque, a member of s.e.a.l. team six, the same elite unit that of course took out osama bin laden. barbara? >> good morning, ted. the military is confirming now that the body of 28-year-old nicolas checque has been returned to the united states, back to his family. no announcement about burial services for this young man, a native of pennsylvania, navy s.e.a.l. who is remembered by those who knew him at his high school, his principal, his wrestling coach, talking about the young man they knew when he was a boy back in school. >> worked hard every day, never complained. those are the things i remember. i remember his senior year him basically telling us what he was training for and it was going to get into the special forces. >> it's scary to hear the stories that come out but what a

testament to the kind of man nic built himself to be for the kids who are here, aspiring to be in the military. >> and by all accounts, nicolas checque did achieve those goals, serving ten years as a navy veteran, giving his life for a man he did not know, dr. dill imjoseph, an aid worker in afghanistan, captured by the taliban, and the rescue was ordered when there was information his life was in immediate danger. the seals were ordered in. dilip joseph they are saying he's expected also to return home to his family. ted? >> barbara starr for us this morning, at the pentagon. well, severe storms are

expected to hit south florida later today. other southern states are cleaning up from yesterday's storms and many people are still talking about a dramatic moment caught on camera in birmingham, alabama. >> we had dogs, he was in the age and -- oh my god, oh my god. [ screaming ] y'all okay? y'all okay? y'all all right? >> the ceiling of clint thornton's home collapsed from heavy rains during that interview with cnn affiliate wiat. search okay but clearing they have a big mess to clean up. very dramatic. we also have some incredible video what have appears to be a tornado touching down in central florida yesterday. volusia county officials say trees and power lines were knocked down, roofs torn off, fortunately no injuries

reported. the fiscal cliff, its effect on real people, for some it means losing their only source of income. you'll meet one of them coming up next. stay with us. americans are always ready to work hard for a better future. since ameriprise financial was founded back in 1894, they've been committed to putting clients first. helping generations through tough times. good times. never taking a bailout. there when you need them. helping millions of americans over the centuries. the strength of a global financial leader.

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checking top stories in sanford, florida, george zimmerman is back in court for another hearing in the trayvon martin case. zimmerman's attorneys want a list of people who can allegedly i.d. zimmerman and martin on the 911 call from that night. zimmerman also wants off electronic monitoring and would like more travel freedoms. he maintains he killed trayvon martin in self-defense. new details on the health of former south african president nelson mandela. four days after checking into a hospital the government says the 94-year-old is battling a lung infection. the civil rights icon has not appeared in public in more than two years. here is a story to stir some taxpayer outrage, a government watchdog says mortgage giants fannie mae and freddie mac doled out huge paychecks despite being propped out with your tax money.

the payout $92 million for the top 90 employees and that does not include the ceos. not much time left and still no deal. the white house and congress had three weeks to reach a deal on the dispool cliff as president obama, house speaker boehner and their aides hold private talks americans wait to see if their tax rate will go up january 1st. for some without a job they risk losing unemployment. kyung lah talks with a woman who has been out of work a year while trying to raise two children. >> reporter: liz calls it a financial freefall. >> i wish i wasn't in this situation but it is what it is,

and i could just do what i can. >> reporter: de bats lost her job as a new home sales manager last january. on an old laptop with a broken cord she keeps track, averaging 15 applications a day, at age 54, this is the first time she's ever been on unemployment. she's emptied out her 401(k), her savings and now the last resort, the emergency federal jobless program has department de bats in her town home giving her $450 a week. on december 29th unless the congress acts, the money stops. >> we're not living off the system. it's not a luxury to be on unemployment. it's a means to keep us going. >> reporter: the fear of the fiscal cliff isn't just here in this suburban neighborhood. in the states with the highest unemployment from the west to the north to the south, they will be hit the hardest. some 2 million americans will

see those federal unemployment benefits disappear all at once. economists chris thornburg says these americans are the unfortunate pawns in the tough game of politics and budget balancing. >> so ultimately this is a tradeoff, the tradeoff of course has to be that in some ways people are going to be hit painfully by a reduction in federal benefits. at the same time we have to appreciate this deficit has to be closed. >> reporter: at what human cost, asked de bats. she's down to condiments until the next unemployment check arrives. while we're talking to her about the fiscal cliff she gets an e-mail. >> yeah! my first review. okay, great. whoa, okay, that was good news. >> reporter: a third interview for a sales job. if washington can't do t maybe this job will pull her back from the cliff. >> oh, my god, i'm excited right now. >> reporter: kyung lah, cnn, los

angel angeles. a record find for one of the world's largest banks, what it's accused of doing with drug cartels and terror groups, coming up. you'll also find us in person, with dedicated support teams at over 500 branches nationwide. so when you call or visit, you can ask for a name you know. because personal service starts with a real person. [ rodger ] at scottrade, seven dollar trades are just the start. our support teams are nearby, ready to help. it's no wonder so many investors are saying... [ all ] i'm with scottrade.

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i'll get you a rental car. i could also use an umbrella. fall in love with progressive's claims service. a record fine, $1.9 billion, that's how much global banking giant hsbc is paying the united states government to resolve accusations of money laundering for mexican drug cartels and terror-linked groups in saudi arabia. business correspondent christine romans joins us now from new york, and it's a serious allegation here. >> it really is and the group hsbc, the uk's largest bank wants to put this behind it,

trying to settle the serious allegations, $1.92 billion will be what they will pay the u.s. government, there will be a press conference later today, the justice department, the manhattan d.a. and others to put this to rest. banks operating in the u.s. have an obligation to know their customer and abide by u.s. laws and u.s. sanctions against some pretty bad characters and hsbc apparently didn't do that. that's the allegation of the united states government, helping transfer money for drug cart cartels, for terrorist groups, for countries we're not supposed to be doing business with overall. these sanctions around libya, myanmar, syria and mexican cartels, this is what hsbc says, wants to put the whole matter behind this. "we accept responsibility for our past mistakes, we have said we're profoundly sorry for them. the hsbc of today is a fundamentally different organization from the one that made those mistakes." they were rubber stamping

transfers and one economic it any of an e-mail said "what is this, the school of low expectations banking?" this executive was appalled by some of the practices of a mexican affiliate of hsbc. let me tell you about the fine here, ted, $1.92 billion, standard chartered a fine of $667 million for some similar charges of violating u.s. sanctions on transactions with iran, burma, libya, sudan. ing bank a $619 million for covering up transfers in violation of u.s. sanctions against cuba and iran. again, the banking industry has to know its customer and in this case it looks as though this bank was looking the other way and a lot of this money around the world. >> you look at the $1.9 billion find, geez it's going to take a long time to pay the back but they'll make the money back in just about a month and a half? >> yes. banks can be a profitable business. it will hurt, though. it will hurt.

month and a half of profit hurts. >> christine romans, thank you, from new york. >> you're welcome. unions in michigan are fighting mad over controversial right to work legislation, two state senators share their thoughts on what it means for the future of organized labor in their state. ells ♪ ♪ all seem to say throw care away ♪ ♪ from everywhere, filling the air ♪ [ female announcer ] chex party mix. easy 15-minute homemade recipes you just pop in a microwave. like caramel chocolate drizzles. happier holidays. chex party mix.

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no matter how wily... or weird... or wonderfully the market's behaving... which isn't rocket science. it's just common sense. from td ameritrade. good morning, i'm ted rowlands in for coral costello. we're a couple of minutes away from the opening bell at the new york stock exchange. u.s. stock futures are up slightly. investors are keeping a close watch on fiscal negotiations and the outcome of the federal reserve's two-day meetings. executives from coca-cola are ringing the opening bell. in new york nayeem davis

charged with the murder of a man he allegedly pushed onto the subway tracks is expected back in court this hour. the man on the track died after being hit by a subway train. a federal judge says north carolina's choose life license plates are unconstitutional because the state does not offer plates with a different viewpoint. lawmaker who sponsored a bill for the new plates reportedly plans to push for an appeal of the judge's ruling. we're keeping a close tab on michigan this morning, and the capitol. the legislature is about to pass an historic bill that could drastically curb the power of unions in the state. president obama slammed the so-called right to work legislation during a visit there yesterday. >> what we shouldn't donie inii doing is trying to take away your rights to bargain for better working conditions. we shouldn't be doing that.

you know, you know, these so-called right to work laws, they don't have to do with economics. they have everything to do with politics. >> to weigh in with her perspective is democratic state senator gretchen whitmer. congressional delegate met with the governor asking him not to sign the legislation. awe peeled directly to president obama. is there anything you can do at this point to stop it? >> i got to tell you the people are outraged not only is this anti-worker and anti-family, the way these republicans are going about it is anti-american. introducing it in a lame duck session at the 11th hour, locking people out of the capitol literally, that's what

they did last week and tried to shut off my microphone. it is anti-american the way they're going about this and the reason there are so many people at the capitol today is because they're mad at heck and not going to take it anymore. there were 8,000 people at the capitol before i even got my kids off to school this morning. >> the legislation doesn't prevent anybody from joining a union so they'd argue what is the problem. if unions are strong people will join them and it will work out. >> they're saying this is more freedom for union members to have a choice. well that's just baloney. if they believe this, if they really believed in that, that it was good public policy, why are they trying not to have any hearings? why are they having an enormous police presence in the capitol to intimidate people from letting their voice be heard today. they know this is pure politics at its worst, political retribution that will hurt the middle class. >> how much of this do you think is politics? the president mentioned it in his speech yesterday, payback to

those that feel that the unions over the years have had way too much political clout in michigan and in other states. >> i think it's totally driven by political retribution. this is not about public policy. no one has been able to point to any state where this has improved life for people in the state. we know michigan compared right to work states, we have a better quality of life. we make an average $7,600 a person more than they do. they have higher reliance on state help, state aid, they have higher unemployment and lower per capita income. that's not a pattern or something we should want to model michigan after so they point to just saying that this is good public policy when they can't back it up at all. and that's why they're not having any public hearings on this. >> why are police and firefighters exempt? >> well, i don't know what the rationale is, but i think, i'm a lawyer and i'll tell you i think that's an equal protection question. they've carved out certain classes of people and i tell you the ones they kept in happened

to be woman-dominated fields like nurses and teachers and social workers, so i think there are going to be a lot of legal challenges as we go forward as to whether or not what they've done is not just offensive but illegal. >> and it is evolving as we speak in michigan, democratic state senator gretchen whitmer thank you for your time. the other side of the coin from the other side of the aisle is coming up next, we'll speak with republican state senator tanya schudemeicher, after this. o what i really need is sleep. introducing the ishares core, building blocks for the heart of your portfolio. find out why 9 out of 10 large professional investors choose ishares for their etfs. ishares by blackrock. call 1-800-ishares for a prospectus which includes investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses. read and consider it carefully before investing. risk includes possible loss of principal.

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we'd been taking a close look this morning at the heated political situation in michigan, the heavily unionized state could be just hours away from becoming the 24th right to work state in the country. republican state senator tonya schuitmaker joins us from lansing. senator, how, tell us -- >> good morning. >> good morning to you. in your opinion, how would this make michigan's economy improve? >> well, this will certainly make michigan's economy improve, if you look at other right to work states, they have, take indiana for example they have 74 new projects since they got

their right to work law on the books and if you look at our competitors we're losing jobs to those right to work stalts and as states and as a mom i want to keep my children in michigan and this is incumbent in terms of job growth. >> if it has merit why not go through the normal legislative process with the folks elected in november? >> this has been a discussion ongoing. i know when i ran for the senate two years ago i was asked substantially on the campaign trail about this, and this has been the discussion in fact in senate bill 116, one of the bills we are talking about right now, that was introduced at the beginning of the term, so this has been a discussion that has been evolving the last two years. >> why not wait another month or two? >> i think it's a discussion. i think the time is right. i think if you look at the political landscape, indiana just passed their right to work law. michigan needs to be

competitive. >> how much of this is political in an effort to cripple unions in michigan, clearly republicans we talked about this yesterday would love it if they woke up tomorrow and every union was evaporated into thin air because unions fund democratic opponents to republican lawmakers. how much of this honestly is political? >> this has everything to do about worker choice. the hard working michigan workers i talked to have come up to thank me because they haven't felt like their unions have represented them so they came up to thank me for my vote on this last week, and i think it has everything to do with choice for their hard working workers. >> you do agree it would be good for republican candidates in the future if unions weren't around or didn't have as much power and money? >> the fact is that 17% of michigan's workforce is union. this law will not change any of that. if workers feel like their unions are representing them, the day after this law passes, 17% of michigan's workforce will

still be in control or will be unionized labor so this has nothing to do and everything to do with worker choice. >> this does, this is like wisconsin and indiana, much of the funding for this effort is coming from outside of the state. why would people from outside of michigan be so concerned with michigan residents to contribute money? isn't that a sign that this truly is a political battle between republicans and democrats being played out in midwestern states right now? >> are you referring to buses of union people being brought in? >> well, both sides, yes. both sides are bringing in people either money or people from out of state, and using michigan as a battlefield here, does that not tell you that this is a wider political issue that is beyond michigan. >> actually i think that this is

a great discussion to have because i believe americans need rights and the basic right of employment and to be free to join an organization and not be compelled because of one's employment is symbolic in the nation and so i do think this will have far-reaching effects but i think this is important for michigan and for the united states. >> all right, state senator tonya schuitmaker, thank you for joining us this morning. >> thank you. in los angeles the rock 'n' roll hall of fame will announce its new class of inductees. could your favorite artist make the cut? stay with us. [ male announcer ] when it comes to the financial obstacles

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fired bird shot pell the's and threw molotov cocktails at them. tension is running high ahead of saturday's constitutional referendum. the australian radio station behind the prank call that apparently led to a nurse taking her own life plans to donate at least $500,000 to the australian family, to their family of jacintha saldanha, who committed suicide after she was duped by the two deejays who called a uk hospital seeking information about prince william's pregnant wife who was being treated for acute morning sickness. in money, taxpayers are about to be out of the insurance business because the treasury department is about to sell the last of its shares of aig. the treasury says when it's all done it expects a nearly $23 billion profit on one of the biggest bailouts of the 2008 financial crisis. the new chapter in bounty gate could soon be written. could a former commissioner

throw out suspensions for four players accused of trying to injure their opponents for money? we'll talk to adam shefter about that coming up. stay with us. wants that pink c. and you really don't want to pay more than you have to. only citi price rewind automatically searches for the lowest price. and if it finds one, you get refunded the difference. just use your citi card and register your purchase online. have a super sparkly day! ok. [ male announcer ] now all you need is a magic carriage. citi price rewind. start saving at citi.com/pricerewind. citi price rewind. social security are just numbers thinkin a budget.d... well, we worked hard for those benefits. we earned them. and if washington tries to cram decisions about the future... of these programs into a last minute budget deal... we'll all pay the price. aarp is fighting to protect seniors with responsible... solutions that strengthen medicare and...

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it's been a decade since pepsi fell crazy in love with beyonce, when she began staring in their commercials as a spokesperson. ♪ and pepsi apparently is still crazy in love with beyonce because they are now going global. let's get to a.j. hammer in new york with details about this lucrative partnership. a.j.? >> hey, ted, very lucrative. the deal will get pepsi a whole lot more beyonce, we'll see a whole lot more of her if that's possible. she signed on to a $50 million deal which means she'll be

starring in a lot more pepsi commercials and appearing on their soda cans. this means that pepsi will be getting into the beyonce business. that means they're going to sponsor her super bowl halftime show and plan to spend millions of dollars to support other creative projects she'll be bringing to the table. whatever those are we'll find out hopefully soon and this will keep her in the lifestyle to which she has become akcustoacu "forbes" estimated her past year at $40 million, that was before this deal was announced so there's a pretty good shot bey and jay-z will retain their title as "forbes" highest paid couple for the foreseeable history. >> the rock 'n' roll hall of fame announcing its next class. who is on the willist? >> the class of 2013 includes randy newman this year, public enemy, nwa, the late donna summer and to the delight of prerogative rock fans around the world, rush will finally be

inducted. the new list always provokes a whole lot of debate who gets in and why they get in so to address some of the criticism the rock hall opened up the voting to the general public online. fans got to vote for the five nominees they wanted in. the top five artists ended. making up a fans ballot that got counted along with the other ballots from industry voters and historians and on the website they tracked who was winning the fan vote with a running tally. it is closed now but i can tell you as of the end of november, rush had pulled in nearly 25% of the votes which is huge followed by deep purple, so we know they're on the list and that fan vote does reflect the longstanding complaints of progressive and hard rock fans that those genres have largely been underappreciated by the hall's 600 or so voting members. last look on the fan vote one of my favorite groups heart ranked third. we'll get the full list of inductees later today. the ceremony will be held in april in los angeles. >> a.j. hammer, we'll be back

next hour with details about adele allegedly being fined and it centers around her baby. think i'll stick around for that. when it comes to brand loyalty, ikea can have a cult like following. there aren't many that offer scandinavian furniture and swedish meatballs. dapper dressed monkey showed up to complete the shopping experience. jeanne moos has more. >> reporter: you go to ikea expecting cheap furniture, not expensively dressed monkeys. >> this is so bizarre. like why is a monkey in ikea. >> reporter: there he was running around outside an entrance in toronto in an outfit that freaked everyone out. >> it's faux fur, it's like a faux shearling. >> reporter: double breasted, tweets started to fly. anyone lose their monkey at ikea? actually, yeah. the owner was shopping inside

the store when the monkey managed to get out of his crate and then out of the car. >> all the people were trying to like call it towards them, but it was very scared, it was darting all over the place, they were trying to get it away from cars. >> reporter: his diaper only detracted a little from what was later described as his favorite jargt. he asked robert verde to critique the look. how smilish is he? >> i thought it was an editor i've seen at "fax week." >> reporter: it wasn't quite as formal as the at fashion week. >> reporter: it wasn't quite as formal as the red carpet outfit, but who dresses up to shop at ikea? animal control folks eventually captured the 7-month-old primate. unfortunately for the monkey's owner, this shopping trip ended with a no return policy. because monkeys are prohibited as pets, the owner was fined $240 and has to permanently hand over the little guy, identified as darwin. he stayed briefly at toronto

animal services. >> he's not very happy right now. he's having kind of a bad day. >> reporter: separation anxiety. he was moved to an ontario primate sanctuary, where it's hoped darwin will live happily ever after. but his name will live on as ikea monkey. hi instantly acquired parody twitter accounts, describing him as lover of fashion. a connie stevens song was dedicated to him. ♪ i will wait for you >> reporter: some speculated he headed for ikea in search of swedish meatballs. his image was inserted in an ad for ikea bedroom furniture. as for the jacket -- >> i betcha it's going to start a trend and we'll be able to find a version of it at h&m next week. >> reporter: now, that's evolution. jeanne moos, cnn, new york. >> classic. well, former new orleans saints football players accused

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does the nfl have problems with guns? according to a "usa today" estimate, nearly three quarters of all nfl players say they have a firearm. just 11 days ago, kansas city police say jovann belcher shot and killed his girlfriend before taking his own life. listen to what bob costas told cnn's piers morgan last night. >> it seems some people want it to be about everything and anything but guns. i don't think it's only about guns, but i think that guns, even if legally obtained, people's attitudes towards guns are definitely a part of this problem. could javon belcher, could he

have stabbed her, yeah. i knew o.j. simpson, could he have strangled her or thrown her out the window? yeah. but the presence of a gun makes it much more likely that something like this will occur, much more likely. >> several players have been arrested over the years for gun violence. you'll remember plaxico burress who was sents to prison for shooting himself in the leg at a manhattan nightclub in 2008. there aren't too many people who know more about the nfl than adam scheffler. espn reporter. adam, thanks for joining us. i know you had a late night last night with nfl football. thanks for getting up for us. first of all, can the nfl really do anything to address the gun issue? these players is own guns legally, but they can be potentially dangerous. >> ted, the nfl has tried to combat this issue, and it is a growing issue. it goes back to a policy that the nfl passed about five years ago, with gun policies and gun regulations. and basically what it said is, you cannot have a gun around an

nfl stadium, around an nfl training facility, on an nfl premise. the nfl cannot stop players from obtaining guns, but it can try to control whether or not they're used or around nfl training facilities and stadiums. and the nfl wants to ban that at all costs. and i think you've heard from the "usa today" more and more players have acquired them. and it goes back to former washington redskins safety sean taylor getting gunned down in his own home during a burglary. and after that, there was a lot of talk around the league about players going out to obtain guns, to try to protect themselves, in their opinion. and i think ever since then, the number of guns with players have increased exponentially. >> drinking and drugs also a big problem for the nfl right now, but these are young, sometimes kids, you know, 20-year-old kids with a lot of money. they're out having a good time. just, of course, this weekend, cowboy's linebacker jerry brown jr. died in a crash that police suspect was fueled by alcohol. the driver, brown's teammate, josh brent was jailed for it.

brown's mother also shared her feelings with piers morgan last night. take a listen to this. >> i was upset, but i realized, you know, our youth today are young and stupid and we was all once that age and we done things that we are not proud of. so i realize everyone think they're invisible and think it's not going to happen to me. so because i know josh brent and he's been part of our family since jerry within the to the university of illinois, that's all i can do is pray for him and his family, because i know he's hurting just as well as we are, because him and jerry was like brothers. >> tragedy all around. what's being done for the nfl to help players make the right decisions, concerning drinking and drugs? >> look, it will nfl really has tried to do so much, as has the nfl players' association, but there's only so much you can do

for young, wealthy players who sometimes can make irresponsible decisions, like a lot of people in society. there have been rookie symposiums given to these players when they're entering the league, ordering them and telling them and warning them about the dangers of drinking and driving. each player is given a card from the nfl players' association, and on the back of that card is the phone number of what is supposed to be a confidential car service that if the player feels as if he's too intoxicated to drive home, he should call that service. it's $90 an hour. it doesn't compare to the legal costs that the player can wind up having if he's involved in any type of legal incident with one of these particular cases. and yet the players don't always use that service. they think that will be held against them if their teams or owners know that they're out on a regular basis, out at nightclubs, out late night, out drinking. and so sometimes players shy away from using that service. but these players have been given repeated warnings and

repeated advantages that a lot of people don't get. and frankly, sometimes it just doesn't work. it's not enough. >> all right. adam schefter, thanks very much for your insight and thanks again for getting up this early morning and joining us. we really appreciate it. >> thank you, ted. and next hour of "cnn newsroom" begins right now. stories we're watching right now in the newsroom, the michigan assembly is moments away from taking up a controversial right to work bill that has labor unions up in arms. we are live in lansing. we will also go live to florida, where a rocket will launch the u.s. military's unmanned prototype space plane today and the mission is classified. the world's largest search engine is also very good at not paying taxes. how google saves $2 billion a year, legally.

and skulls and bones. the could these be the remains of the inspiration behind one of the world's most recognizable paintings? newsroom starts right now. and let's go live to michigan, where pro-union demonstrators have gathered inside and outside and state capital in lansing. the state house of representatives is about to take up the right to work bill that could severely curtail the political clout of organized labor in that state. here is what one protester had to say. >> i think it's horrible. i think they're taking away, food off my table, and taking away my pension, my health care for my kids. i think it's that station. >> republican governor rick schneider promises to sign the bill as soon as it hits his desk, make michigan the 24th right to work state in the country. alison kosik joins us live from

lansing this morning. alison, we are expecting a big turnout there. what are you seeing so far? a lot of people behind you, obviously. people are there. >> reporter: yeah, ted, the crowd certainly is growing, as the morning goes on. it's 10:00, which means that the house here at the michigan statehouse is in session. first, what's going to happen is they're going to have their usual opening ceremony. then i'm hearing that they're going to have a farewell ceremony for one of their members. and then they're going to take up this right to work issue. what you're seeing out here, obviously, protesters gathering. they're chanting, they're holding signs that say, right to work is not right. shame on schneider. of course, they're referring to governor rick schneider, the governor of michigan, who is expected to get this bill, once it is expected to pass in the house, some time this morning. he is expected to get that bill and sign it. ted? >> all right, alison kosik, we'll be watching very closely as that unravels or happens in michigan today.

historic legislation expected to be signed by the governor there in the next few hours. well, three weeks from today, the nation's economic recovery could tumble off the so-called fiscal cliff if washington can't strike a deal. so with the clock ticking and the stakes so high, both the white house and republican leaders are tamping down their fiery rhetoric. listen to president obama's sales pitch for his version of a compromise. >> when you put it all together, what you need is a package that keeps taxes where they are for middle class families, we make some tough spending cuts on things that we don't need, and then we ask the wealthiest americans to pay a slightly higher tax rate. >> brianna keilar is at the white house. brianna, are meetings going on outside of the public's view? is that your understanding? >> reporter: well, there are discussions. that is what we're told. as we understand it, obviously, the last meeting between the president and speaker boehner was on sunday.

but we're told by both the white house and the speaker's office that discussions are ongoing, so, obviously, they can all pick up the telephone, and that, quote, the lines of communication are open. this is thing we're hearing over and over again. but make to mistake, there are no significant details of any progress, of any deal that has been struck. so at this point, we know that they still are pretty far apart. the white house still demanding and president obama said this yesterday when he was in michigan, that the tax rates for the first $250,000 of income be preserved and then not be preserved, let the tax rates for more than that, earnings more than that, expire. and right now, house republicans are holding fast to their position, which is, no, let all of the tax cuts be preserved at the end of the year. at this point, as i said, we don't have details. and there's a lot more to be worked out even than on the tax rates, how would you tackle entitlement reform, what kind of

spending cuts would we see, and also, what kind of mechanism would you put in place of that determined. and at this point, ted, i will tell you, i think it could be worse. they could not be talking at all, but i don't think it's to the point, certainly, where you kind of would exhale. there is no deal. >> and really, technically, they have until the end of the year, but the actual timeline is a lot shorter. >> reporter: that's right. and there are a couple of things. congress is supposed to leave town after the end of next week. that would be the 21st on friday. this isn't just a process where you strike a deal and go home. this is something that would take several days. once a deal is reached, there would have to be a bill written. this is something that takes a few days. then it would have to go to the floor. the whole legislative process there taking a few days as well. you almost look at it as a several-day process from when a deal is struck until the whole thing is actually finished and buttoned up. so, obviously, december 21st, when congress is supposed to head home, when the president is

supposed to head to hawaii on his christmas vacation, all of this could slide. the real deadline is the end of the year, but they really need to strike a deal by christmas. and even doing that, have been waiting as long as that is something that could really roil the market. so it's also important that they do it before then, ted. >> yeah, well, hopefully the threat of missing their vacation will push them to work harder. >> it works sometimes. >> sure. brianna keilar for us this morning at the white house. brianna, thank you. this morning, some calming words on syria amid fears that the crumbling regime there could unleash chemical weapons on its own people, just days after the u.s. and other countries warned embattled president bashar al assad against such action. defense secretary leon panetta says syria may be backing away from that threat. here is what panetta said earlier this morning aboard a flight to kuwait city. >> we haven't seen anything new indicating, you know, any aggressive steps to move forward

in that way. but we continue to monitor it very closely and we continue to make clear to them that they should not, under any means, make use of these chemical weapons against their own population. >> and here's an example of just how murky the divisions are in syria. washington is declaring one group of rebels a foreign terrorist organization. according to federaldocuments, the group is nearly another name for al qaeda in iraq. this morning, we know the name of a s.e.a.l. who died. the s.e.a.l. is identified as petty officer first class nicolas checque. the 28-year-old pennsylvania native died over the weekend. pentagon correspondent barbara starr joins us now with more on petty officer checque. he was a member of s.e.a.l. team 6, the same elite unit that took out osama bin laden.

barbara? >> good morning, ted. well, the u.s. military says the remains of nicolas checque now back in the united states, they say, back on his way to his family. no details of the funeral have yet been announced by his family. this 28-year-old petty officer first class had been a ten-year navy veteran, had worked with s.e.a.l. team 6, also known inside the navy as the special warfare development group, one of the most elite, covert counterterrorism teams in the united states military. they were called in to action over the weekend in afghanistan, in eastern afghanistan, to rescue an american, dilip joseph, who'd been kidnapped by the taliban. his life was said to be in danger. the s.e.a.l.s were ordered in. this young navy s.e.a.l. giving his life for another american he did not know. his high school wrestling coach and his principal are remembering the young man they met in high school.

>> worked hard every day, never complained. those are things i remember. i remember his senior year, him basically telling us what he was training for. and it was going to get into the special forces. >> you know, it's scary to hear these kind of stories. but what a testament to the kind of man billed himself to be for these kids who are here, aspiring to be in the military. >> his hometown in pennsylvania, remembering this young navy s.e.a.l. dilip joseph, the doctor, also is said to have been roughed up by the taliban during the time he was held and is said to eventually be on his way back home to his family and his work in colorado. ted? >> all right, barbara starr, thank you. barbara from the pentagon this morning. well, a global banking giant will pay nearly $2 billion as part of a record payment to the u.s. government. the payment is part of a settlement that resolves hsbc of

accusations of money laundering for mexican drug cartels and terror-linked groups in saudi arabia. and you might want to tuprn to google for the next time you're looking for tips for legally saving money on your taxes. according to bloomberg news, the world's second largest search engine saved $2 billion in taxes worldwide by shifting billions of dollars into tax shelters in bermuda. maribel is live at the nasdaq market site. maribel, this is most of google's pre-tax earrings that they were able to shelter. >> hi, ted, you're right there. it's about 80% of google's pre-tax profits last year. we've heard some of this before. and here's the thing, ted. it is legal. but bloomberg is now attaching some specific dollar figures to this. first off, why bermuda? that country doesn't have corporate income taxes. it's a big savings for google. and as you can imagine, the uproar over this is growing. last week, a uk parliamentary

committee criticized google for moving money to bermuda. and ted, this is perfectly legal and this is all because of loopholes many countries have in their tax codes. amazon and starbucks have also been under fire for this. just last week, starbucks folded to public pressure and it said it would pay an additional $30 million in taxes in the uk, but the company stressed that it did nothing wrong. and as for google, we reached out to them, no comment. but ted, google did tell bloomberg it complies with all tax rules. ted? >> we hear this and we hear it every year. ge was in the news last year and it's astounding to people that they're not paying taxes. are regulators in any country doing anything about this? >> well, see, here's the thing. since it's legal, what it boils down to is really this. it's up to governments around the world to change their tax codes. i mean, last week the european commission recommended that countries create pa blacklist of common tax havens and also encourage them to change laws to curb tax abuses. the uk has held hearings and issued reports on this.

and it's spending millions to hire special investigators yo s to look into this. they have a new agreement to share new information on taxable income, but any major crackdown is going to take a change in legislation. >> maribel, thank you. the u.s. could launch a mini unmanned space plane in just a few hours and the cargo is classified. we'll have an update from florida, coming up in just a minute. stay with us. alright, family photo. charlie! stop punching your brother. he asked me to! hey, sarah, stop texting, and look at your dad. i can do two things at once. ok, well just look at your dad, so he can get this shot. i'm going to be a ninja! (chaos & noise) got it. what? yeah, i got it, come here. nobody move, especially you, charlie. how'd you do that? automagically. let's eat. combine pictures with best face. on the new samsung note ii. for a limited time, get two flip covers for the price of one, exclusively at verizon. can your moisturizer do that? [ female announcer ] dermatologist recommended aveeno has an oat formula,

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and checking our top stories right now. in sanford, florida, george zimmerman is back in court for another hearing in the trayvon martin case. zimmerman, who claims he killed the teen in self-defense, says he still fears for his safety and would like more travel freedoms. his attorneys also want a list of people who can allegedly i.d. zimmerman and martin on the 911 call from the night of the shooting. new details on the health of former south african president, nelson mandela, four days after checking into a hospital, the government says the 94-year-old is battling a lung infection. the civil rights icon has not appeared in public in more than two years. here's a story sure to stir

some taxpayer outrage. a government watchdog says mortgage giants fannie mae and freddie mac doled out some massive paychecks, despite being propped up with your tax money. the payout, get ready for this, $92 million for the top 90 employees. and that, apparently, does not include the ceos. today former nfl commissioner paul tagliabue is expected to announce his decision in bountygate. tagliabue was brought in to hear the appeals of four players accused of participating in a program that paid money for injuring opponents. his decision could affect whether two current new orleans saints, linebacker jonathan vilma and defensive end will smith get to play out the rest of the season. vilma was slapped a full-season suspension while smith was suspended for four games. those players have been able to play, however, while their

appeals process goes on. the air force is expected to launch its third secret experimental space plane today, it's unmanned, reusable, it's a mini version of the space shuttle that will take off from cape canaveral. but no one knows what it is carrying, not even john zarrella, who knows everything, knows what's inside that shuttle. but he joins us now from miami. why so secret, john? >> reporter: hey, ted. you know, i'm not sure i want to know what's inside this one. yeah, it's called the x-37b, and this is the third orbital test flight of this unmanned vehicle. it flies up at the same altitude as a space shuttle, about 200 miles, circles the earth, and can be commanded to autonomously return back to earth. now, it has created a tremendous amount of speculation as to what it is doing up there, the last one that returned to earth earlier this year was up for 469

days, just orbiting. there's been all kinds of speculation about the fact that perhaps it is a satellite-killing machine, perhaps it is an on-demand reconnaissance vehicle, as some call it, in other words, a spy satellite. the air force says it's none of that. that basically it's been up there as a test bed, and they are testing everything from heat shields, thermal protection systems, avionics, all advanced seals, for instance. high high-temperature seals. and you can see in that video, one of those x-37bs right there. but no one knows how much money has been spent on this. clearly, billions of dollars. and no one knows -- well, some people do, but very few, know exactly what the x-37's purpose is. you know, ted, one space expert said in an article i was reading that perhaps its entire purpose is to keep the chinese wondering

what its purpose is. and that's it. >> well, i guess that would be a good purpose, depending on how much money we're spending for it. >> reporter: yeah. >> do you know how much these missions cost? >> reporter: no, they don't. >> no disclosure on that? >> reporter: no disclosure on how much the pentagon is spending. and originally, this was supposed to fly inside the space shuttle and it was a part of a nasa program. turned over to the defense department in the early 2000s. then the air force took it over, development costs have -- you know, some numbers that were out there were up around $500 million, but clearly it's well beyond that now. >> all right. john zarrella for us this morning in florida. thank you, john. >> reporter: sure. we're continuing to monitor developments in michigan where lawmakers are getting ready to vote on a controversial right to work law. this is a live look inside the capital. we're going to take you there as the vote gets ready. stay with us. many of my patients clean their dentures with toothpaste.

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we are getting some new video in of the protests going on in lansing, michigan, that we've been watching all morning. take a look.

these are protesters inside the rotunda of the state capital building that have gathered to protest against the legislation, which is being pushed through the right to work vote in that state, as we speak. outside the statehouse, there are thousands of people who have gathered there as well. you're looking at a live shot from our affiliate, wdiv. their chopper shows thousands of people who are outside, presumably not able to get inside because of capacity issues. there are also things going on inside the actual chambers. there you see a lawmaker at the podium there, as lawmakers get ready to vote on this very controversial legislation. lori higgins is with the "detroit free press." she is on the phone and joins us now from inside the state capital. lori, paint a picture for us. a lot of people there. give us a sense of what's going

on. >> well, i'm in the basement of the building, and you guys can see the live shot, but i'm hearing a lot of stomping from the ground floor. outside the building, there are thousands of people. a lot of them are carrying si signs. i think a lot of them are here, knowing that this bill is going to pass, but they feel like they need to get their voices heard and send a message to the lawmakers. >> is there anything really that would stop this from going through? the governor, rick schneider has said he'll sign it as soon as it hits his desk. are you expecting this to be law by the end of the day? >> that's the expectation, that the house will concur with the bill that the senate passed last week. the governor has given an indication that he will sign it. >> the images we are seeing are reminiscent of what we saw in wisconsin a few years ago. in michigan, like wisconsin, a lot of people feel as though this was done quickly and in a

way that didn't allow full participation. what's been the biggest beef? is it the actual legislation or the way that it is being rammed through? >> i think it's a combination of both, but i think that the latter, the fact that this is being pushed through the lame-duck session has really angered a lot of people, particularly since our governor, governor schneider has been pretty neutral on this issue up until now and has says it's not been on his agenda. and then last week he said it was on his agenda. so a lot of people feel like this is being rammed through, that they haven't been given an opportunity to give their thoughts on this and have a voice in this. there have been no committee hearings and the bill passed within a matter of a couple hours last week. >> in wisconsin, we saw tens of thousands of people coming out on a daily basis. a lot of emotion, a lot of

anger. but there weren't a lot of safety issues. there weren't a lot of problems in terms of violence or fighting between factions. i know that state workers were sent a memo yesterday to be vigilant and keep your cell phones on and don't walk alone. is there a concern for safety there, or what are you seeing in terms of that? >> i think that officials are being cautious right now. there haven't been any major problems, last week when they were voting on this. there were a handful of arrests, people who were trying to rush into the chambers, but those were eight people out of hundreds of people who were out here at the capital last week. so far today, there have been no major problems, as far as i can tell. people are being pretty orderly. there are a lot of people, but there's a very strong state police presence. >> how many people would you estimate, i know it's very difficult to know where people

have come from, but how many people have come from out of state? obviously these are not all residents of michigan. these are folks from other states that are standing in solidarity. do you have any feel for how many folks are coming from out of state here? >> reporter: it's hard to say. i know i spoke one of the marshals who's handling the crowds here for the unions. and she said the very first bus that rolled in this morning was a bus full of people from maryland. we've seen license plates from florida, from wisconsin, from ohio. they're coming from all over. but at this point, it's really hard to say how many of the thousands of people here are from outside of michigan. >> all right, lori higgins from the detro"detroit free press" i the state capital. we also have alison kosik outside the state capital in lansing. we'll be following this as it unfolds in michigan. stay with us. we'll take a quick break.

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and checking our top stories, we're keeping close tabs on the michigan capital this morning. the legislature there is about to pass an historic bill that could drastically curb the political power of organized labor. hundreds of pro-union protesters and supporters have turned out to voice their disapproval. in new york, naeem davis, who is charged with the murder of a man he allegedly pushed on to the subway tracks is expected back in court this hour. the man on the track died after being hit by a subway train. the federal judge says north carolina's choose life license plates are unconstitutional because the state does not offer plates with a different viewpoint. a lawmaker who sponsored a bill

for the new plates reportedly plans to push for an appeal of the judge's ruling. we are exactly three weeks away from automatic tax hikes and spending cuts if these two men and their parties cannot come to an agreement on the fiscal cliff. president obama and house speaker john boehner met privately sunday in a surprise meeting, but they're not commenting much in public on whether there's been much progress. joining me now is political science professor and political chief correspondent for politics 365, jason johnson, and republican strategist, ron bon john. some say the fact that we're not hearing much of washington is a good sign, and in this case, silence is golden. you guys agree? >> yeah, i definitely do. look, one of the things that we've got to realize here is that the more that this fight takes place in public, the less is being done behind closed doors, because everyone feels that they have to justify the public rhetoric. so i think that we have two

silences going on. there's barack obama and john boehner working things out and the republicans realizing that they've got to find a way to negotiate. so silence is golden for christmas season. >> do you agree, ron bonjean? >> yes, i completely agree. i think that silence is best. and right now while they're figuring out how to put a deal together, i think the president softening his rhetoric in michigan on the issue yesterday was extremely helpful. you know, what we are still far apart, as far as we know, on entitlement reform, spending cuts, raising the rates, you know, we've been talking so much about raising taxes that we're not talking a lot about entitlement reform and a lot about spending cuts, and i know that's what it's going to take. there's going to have to be some significant movement on the democratic side for that to occur. so we're hopeful we can see some white smoke out of the white house and the capital this week. you know, if we don't get something by early next week, it's going to be hard to see how

they can whip their members into shape and get this done by christmas p christmas. >> and jason, don't you think that is taking place. maybe those discussions that the media isn't harping on, because it's frankly maybe too complicated, it's easier to talk about the tax rate increase. do you think those are being discussed in earnest, or is there a lot of work to be done that maybe can't get done before the break and before the end of the year? >> i think both sides -- look, at the beginning of the year, i thought to myself, which is going to happen first? are we going to fix the fiscal cliff or is the hockey lockout going to end? and i think it's pretty clear now that the fiscal cliff is going to get fixed first. because i think both sides recognize, look, we have an end of the year deadline. they knew this had to be done at particular point. so it doesn't really matter what the issues are. i think everyone recognizes that they don't want to end up going over this cliff. so i think there's always been a plan afoot. i think the republicans are

really scaling back what their expectations are. they have to recognize this is going to get done in a lame-duck session, and barack obama has surprisingly stood his ground. liberals can be happy with him for once because he seems to be taking command of these negotiations. >> ron, the "national review" is reporting that if the fiscal cliff talks go sour, that john boehner might have a challenge for his speaker post. do you agree with that? >> i think speaker boehner is extremely strong in his position. he's been very, very smart, including the republican leadership, in his negotiations. while it's just him and president obama, he has them inside the room before he goes and meets with the president, he talks to them and they reflect the views of the entire conference. the key here with the entire deal is that the devil is in the details. once these details come out, it's going to take arm-twisting by both sides. it's going to take calls from the president and democrats. it's going to take the speaker to make sure republican conference members are falling into line and that's where we're going to see, when the rubber meets the road, if this deal can get done. remember, you know, health care reform by the president passed

on december 24th. so we do have a president there just going right up to christmas. and if it doesn't happen at christmastime, they'll be coming back before the new year. and i'm a glass half full kind of guy. i think they can get it done. >> jason, who takes the hit politically if this doesn't get done? both sides, or do you think that the president is susceptible, because he's not leading? or will it be the republicans that take the political hit here if they don't get a deal done? >> when you spend all of 2011 and get branded, fairly or unfairly, as the party of no, you're going to be the ones in trouble. every poll has shown that most americans will blame the republican party if this deal doesn't get done. that's one of the reasons that john boehner's positions are fairly safe. a year ago, eric cantor was measuring the curtains in boehner's office, but i think now, boehner knows he's just got to get this done, suffer through, the republicans will take the hit if this doesn't happen and they don't need that

kind of bad press. it will just make obama all the more powerful heading into his reinauguration. >> all right. both of you guys seem glass half-fullish on this. bottom line, ron first, deal or no deal? >> bottom line, i don't think the president wants to go over the cliff, because he'll be giving an inaugural address with the country in fiscal shambles. and the president still is the commander in chief, the leader of our country. and if he presides over this, a lot of mud is going to splash up on him too. i think we'll be able to get this deal done, but, again, the devil's in the details. >> tight on time, jason, deal or no deal? >> we're going to get a deal, right at the end of the year, everyone's happy, unemployment will keep coming, and we will not hit the fiscal cliff. >> all right, gentleman, thank you for your insight. we'll see if there'll be a deal. time is running out. live pictures as protesters outside the state capital continue to gather in lansing, michigan. hundreds are there to protest

the right to work vote. today our poppy harlow is live inside the state capitol right now. poppy, what are you seeing around you. paint a picture for us inside the capitol. >> reporter: absolutely. well, we just got in some video, so hopefully our viewers can see that. this is the scene of the house senate chambers here at the state capitol in lansing, michigan. the house is currently in session and could vote any moment on this bill for right to work. i want to walk you -- it's really loud, but i want to walk you into the hall here. somewhere between 400 and 500 protesters chanting, we are union, we are union. [ inaudible ] >> all right, all right, poppy, we're going to give you a second to move a little bit inside the capitol there. we can't understand most of what you are saying. clearly, a lot of people inside

the capitol and i did hear a little bit of it, and basically, she was saying that they're getting ready to vote. that, of course, will excite the emotions of the people outside and inside that building as that vote continues. we'll get back to poppy, hopefully, right after the break. let's take a quick break right now. we'll be right back. he united s. the only time i've ever had a break is when i was on maternity leave. i have retired from doing this one thing that i loved. now, i'm going to be able to have the time to explore something different. it's like another chapter.

something this delicious could only come from nature. new nectresse. the 100% natural no-calorie sweetener made from the goodness of fruit. new nectresse. sweetness naturally. well, the holidaying are here, so those dreaded extra pounds aren't far behind. but researchers say dieters have found remarkable success with a two-pronged approach. using a smartphone and some wise use of your time. we'll break it down for you now with senior medical correspondent, elizabeth cohen. so what are we talking about here? >> this is an interesting approach they used at northwestern university and they actually saw results, which is somewhat unusual with weight

loss programs, results that actually lasted. so when folks used an app to track what they were eating and how much they were exercising as well as an in-person class that they went to, where they had support from other people, they lost 15 pounds and they kept it off. as long as they really used the app and really went to those classes. so 15 pounds and keeping it off is, you know, these people started at around 250 pounds, so this isn't the cure all and be all and end all for them, but certainly a good start. >> and it seems to be working. why? is it because of the extra pressure from the app? >> i think it's the one-two punch that really does it. i'll show you one of the screens from the app and i think that will help explain it. you go into this app and put in how much you eat and that's the green part there. for this person, they've eating almost all of their calories for the day. there's very little white space left there. that tells you, oh, my goodness, that huge dinner, forget about it. this person has done almost all

of their exercise for the day. and a coach would talk to them every other week, a very brief conversation on the phone. and in addition, they would go to these classes. and study after study has shown, when you have a buddy, when you have people you are doing this, that helps. what's interesting about this study, the app alone didn't do it, the classes alone didn't it do. >> can people get the app? >> they can't get this app, but i'll give some people some advice. go and find an app that does as much as this as possible. where you can see in realtime how you're doing. doesn't just give you advice, lets you track in realtime how you're doing, and also join a real in-person group where you live. >> bet a buddy and an app. elizabeth cohen, thank you. apology already sent. now the station behind the prank call that caused a nurse to apparently kill herself is ready to help her family. we'll tell you how, coming up. stay with us. time for citi price rewind. because your daughter really wants that pink castle thing. and you really don't want to pay more than you have to.

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checking top stories, a landmark vote is about to take place in the michigan legislature. the right to work bill could be a crippling blow to organized labor in that state. it would allow workers to on the out of paying union dues in unionized shops. hundreds of pro-union workers are protesting at the statehouse, as leaders vote on this bill. the australian radio station behind the prank call that apparently led to a nurse taking her own life plans to donate at least $500,000 australian to her family. ya sintha saldanha commit suicide last week after being duped by two djs who called a hospital seeking information about prince william's wife who was being treated there for acute morning sickness. the roof just collapsed. >> it just collapsed. >> the ceiling in this north birmi ingha birmingham, alabama, home

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well, pepsi has been a big fan of beyonce for a decade now. that is when she began starring in their commercials. >> hi, can you tell me how to get back to the interstate? two stop signs and then make a right at the light. a left at the light? thank you. >> pepsi apparently is still a big fan of beyonce. a lot of other people are as well. they're going global now with each other. let's get the details from a.j. hammer in new york. a.j., what's the deal here? >> well, ted, pepsi is calling the latest chapter in the relationship with beyonce one of the most innovative global

partnerships ever seen or heard. it's a reported $50 million deal, and it means we'll continue to see the superstar grammy winner in new commercials and also on their soda can. this will kick off with pepsi's sponsorship of the super bowl halftime show, beyonce will be performing in that. and in keeping with beyonce's reputation for being very involved with whatever project she's working on, she'll be collaborating with designers on all the advertising materials that will feature her image. and ted, pepsi also plans to spend millions of dollars to support other creative projects that beyonce will be bringing to the table. it sounds like a win/win for pepsi, for beyonce, and especially for her fans who just love her so much. >> and another huge artist making some news. what sort of trouble is adele possibly in item >> well, "adele" and "trouble" aren't usually two words that appear in the same sentence. adele, of course, is a new mom. she likely has her hands very

full after the birth of her first child. but according to a newspaper report in the uk, she may have already forgotten one important step in the child-rearing process over across the pond, officially registering her newborn. it's now been 52 days since adele reportedly gave birth to a baby boy, that was back in october. and here's where she could apparently be in a bit of trouble. by british law, new parents have a 42-day legal deadline to either register their babies or make an appointment to register with the government or they face a fine of 1,000 pounds, about $1,600 in the uk. according to the sun in the uk, adele and the baby's father missed that deadline. considering she sold more than 10 million copies of her album here in the u.s. alone, it's a pretty safe bet if she does get fined -- >> she can handle it. >> i think so. >> a.j. hammer, thank you. for the latest entertainment headlines, watch "showbiz tonight," 11:00 eastern on hln.

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this just in to cnn, george zimmerman has been turned down in his request to travel outside seminole county in florida. zimmerman had been asked to taken off of electronic monitoring to travel more freely. he maintains he killed trayvon martin in self-defense. his request denied this morning in florida. well, it is probably the world's most famous painting, leonardo da vinci's mona lisa. but for hundreds of year, the search has been on to learn more about the woman who inspired it all. and as ben wedeman found out, the answer may be in the dirt. >> reporter: this smile has perplexed art historians for centuries. leonardo da vinci's priceless master piece, the mona lisa. in the frigid bowels of what was once a convent in florence, television producer turned art

researcher is leading a project to identify and find the remains of the woman who posed for da vinci more than 500 years ago. historical documents seem to indicate that this is the place where lisa geradini, otherwise known as mona lisa, was buried. beyond that, it's all a mystery. the remains of five females have been found here. this skull may be that of lisa, the second wife of a wealthy florence silk merchant. the remains will be compared with the dna of two relatives buried elsewhere. no other likeness of her has ever been found, and given that da vinci spent years working on the painting, it's possible the real lisa geradini bears to resemblance to the mona lisa. once we identify the remaining,

vimceti tells me, we reconstruct the face with an error rate of 1 to 2%. by doing this, we can finally answer the question the art historians can't, who was the model? the smile, on the other hand, will probably remain a mystery. vinceti claims scientific analysis suggests the smile came later. when, he says, leonardo began painting the model in front of him, he didn't draw that met fizzical, ironic, elusive smile, but rather he painted a person who was dark and depressed. the smile, vinceti and others have suggested, may have belonged to his long-time assistant and some believe lover. while other art historians claim the paintinga